Stationery rack



July 26, 1932'. c. w. MULLER STATIONERY RACK Filed Dec. 21, 1929 R O T N E v m Patented July 26, 1932 NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE cLEMEnrw. MULLER, or monns'r camronnra s'm'rionnay RACK Application filed December 21, 1929. SeriaI'I Io; 415,656.

permanently arranged 1n connection with a drawer or similar container, by means of which a considerable quantity of stationery 1 of difierent kinds may be maintained in flat neat'pilesand in segregated relation to each other. The rack also 1 provides adjustable means for enabling sheets of different lengths such as are commonly used to be kept in such relationship in the rack-that they can have no undue displacement and they will be retained in such a manner that one end of eachkind or pileof sheets is always presented for ready engagement by the user. a p

Neatness and accessibility of the stationery is therefore enhanced, and the different kinds and sizes of sheets are always where needed and easily found, and they are not mixed up with the others as is too frequently" the case.

This of course also speeds up work, since no time is lost in hunting stationery of the required size and nature. I 4

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a simple and inexpensive device and yet be exceedingly efiective for 39 one which will the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means such structure and relative arrangement of M parts as will fully appear-by a pernsalofthe following specification and claims.

In the drawing similar charac'tersof refer,-

ence indicate corresponding parts in the severalviews: M

Fig. 1 is'a'perspective view'of my improved rack as in operation. 7 i I Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the separating and supporting members'of the rack showing the adjustableback 4;; stop mounted thereon.

Fig. 3 is across section on the lined-3 of 'Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawing, the rack comprises a bottom sheet 1 which may v be rigid or flexible, as desired, anumberof othersuperposedandpreferablyfiexiblesheets 2, and a top cover'sheet or flap 3, also prefer ably ofa fleXible-nature. All these sheets are the same width -or widthof any standard sheetsof stationery, and thebottom sheet is considerably longer than the length of any such sheet. The other sheets, including the cover, whileall terminating. inthe same vertical plane at their back edges. are all successively shorter than the sheet land than each other, so that while all the sheets vertically aline with each other at the back, as stated, they are arranged in stepped relationto' the sheet 1 and to each other at the front, as plainly shown in Fig. 1. A metal back plate 4 is rigidly connected to the sheetl and extends' upwardly at the back of thesame to the height of the covers; said cover 3 being flexibly connected to the plate at its upper end by a fabric hinge 5 or thelike, I while the intermediate sheets 2 are also connected in hinged relation to the back plate by similar means which holds said sheets in defi nitely spaced relation to each other while per- 7 mitting them to be swung up if necessary. 1

Projectingupwardly from and secured to "the forward edges ofall the sheets 2 and also from the-bottom sheet 1 a short distance from its forward edge are rigidupstanding flange 39 elements 6 preferably of metal, and which form front stops for the stationery. These flange elements extend the full width of the 5 sheets but areslightly greaterin height than the fixed spacing between saidsheets at the back. These elements are cutout intermedi ate their ends from the top to the bottom as shown at 7 so as to provide for engagement, by the fingers of the operator, of the adjacent forward edgesof thesheets of stationery 8 somewhat more than the supported by the corresponding sheets 2. The sheet 1 and all the sheets 2 except the topmost one are provided with transversely extending and longitudinally adjustable back stop members for the stationery supported by the different sheets. These stop members are of metal and each constitutes an upstanding rigid flange 9, extending the full width of the sheet and the same height as the fixed spacing between thesheets at the back. A horizontal flange 10 is formed with the flange 9 and rests on the sheet, facing toward the f rward end of the same. Intermediate their ends the flanges 9 and 10 are cut out to form transversespaced pairs of longitudinally extending tongues 11 which pro ect rearwardly or toward the back of the sheet and are disposed on a level slightly lower than the flange 9 or approximately the thickness of the sheet These tongues are adapted to be removably inserted in adjacent pairs of slots 12, longitudinally extending rows of which are provided in the sheets 1 and 2 toward the back ends of the same and spaced the proper distance apart transversely of the sheets and with respect to each other so as to simultaneously receive all the tongues on the backstop member,

By means of these adjustable stops the distance between the fixed front flanges 6 and said stops may be gaged to substantially correspond to the length of the sheets of stat onery supported on the corresponding sheet 2 and disposed between adjacent sheets, so that the stationery will project a sufficient distance ahead of the relatively short sheet 2 above so as to render the stationery readily accessible to the user without her having to lift up the parts above to get at the same. A port on of each pile of stationery being visible at all tlmes it is unnecessary for the user to spend anytime in hunting for anyparticular kind or size of sheet. These stops also provide means for supporting the flexible sheets at the back of the stationery holding area thereof, independent of their connection with the back plate 4.80 that the weight of the superimposed stationery 8 down on thesnpporting sheets will not pinch the stationery below at the back and so tend to prevent ready withdrawal of the same from the front end.

By reason of the above construction and arrangement of parts it is possible, with a rack provided with a reasonable number of supporting and separating sheets, to hold piles of the ordinary forms and sizes of stationery, in separated and relatively nonmovable relation to each other, and in such a manner that a sheet of any kind or size may be readily withdrawn without disturbing any others. Though it isnot essential I preferably use the space between the upper sheet 2 and the cover flap 3 as the space for retaining envelopes 13, as such space is naturally the shortest in the rack and is better adapted for this purpose than the others.

The envelopes-fit in this space in transversely spaced piles, and the flange member 6 at the front edge of the corresponding supporting sheet 2 is therefore provided with two of the cut-out portions 7, transversely sepa rated from each other, so as to enable the envelopes from the corresponding piles to be readily engaged and withdrawn. The

of the front stop flange (5 on the lower sheet 1 some distance from the forward edge of said sheet, enables the user to readily engage the stationery supported on said sheet with out cramping the fingers or possibly crumpling whileattempting to pick up a sheet.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forthherein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. 7

' Having thus described my invention what Iclaim as new and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A stationery rack including a plurality of stationery supporting and separating members, means flexibly supporting said members at the back in fixedly spaced relati'on to each other in a common vertical plane, and flanges mounted on and projecting upwardly from said members intermediate their ends; 7

2. A stationery rack including a plurality of stationery supporting and separating members, means flexibly supporting said members at the back in fixedly spaced relation to each other in a common vertical plane, the members attheir front ends being successively shorter than each other from the bottom one upwardly, and flanges projecting upwardly from the front ends of the members to a height not lessthan the fixed spacing between the members at the back.

jE3. A stationery rack including a plurality 0 members at the back in fixedly spaced rela tion to each other in a common vertical plane, flanges projecting upwardly from the members at their forward ends, and other flanges, adjustable lengthwise of the members, mounted on and projecting upwardly from the same intermediate their ends, the height of said last named flangesbeing substantially stationery supporting and separating members, means-flexibly supporting said members,

equal to the fixed spacing between the members at the back.

4. A stationery rack including a plurality of stationery supporting and separating swinging movement and maintainin the members definitely spaced at said en and elements mounted on and extending between adjacent members ahead of said back end of a height to maintain them substantially parallel to each other without interfering with their upward swinging movement.

In testimony whereof I aifix my signature.

CLEMENT W. MULLER.

hinge means flexibly supporting Y said members at the back end for Vertical 

